Tyres - Repair or Replace

Serviceable Repair. This is an industry term you should be aware of.  A serviceable repair is one that can be safely and legally performed to get you back on the road. To qualify as a serviceable repair, the damage must be within certain size limit; some holes are just too big to plug. The angle of penetration is also a factor for consideration and the location of the damage is extremely important.

Most manufacturers recommend that a hole on the side of the tyre should never be repaired. The side wall does not have as much reinforcement as the tread area and is much too flexible to give you a safe repair. Even holes in the tread are limited to the centre 50 or 60 percent and the shoulders of the tread bear too much stress to be repaired. Tyres with very little tread should not be repaired, so if your tyre professional decides that you can safely repair your tyre, would you repair or replace it?

The way you drive your vehicle needs to be considered carefully.  If you have a speed rated tyre you need to know that a repaired tyre cannot be driven over a certain speed limit. A repair may void the original manufacturer’s warranty. If this is important to you, then replace it. Vehicle manufacturers recommend that tyres be of the same size, particularly both of the front tyres or both of the rear tyres, depending on how worn your tyres are. Your tyre professional may recommend replacing more tyres in order to preserve your vehicle handling.

What about slow leaks?

The danger of driving with an under inflated tyre is that it raises the tyre temperature. Sometimes enough to cause tyre components to separate.  A slow leak in a tyre should be considered seriously.

Many self repair products can be found in the marketplace.  They can certainly be convenient and get you out of a jam but they are only temporary fixes. When using them, read the label and install the product correctly.  Speed restrictions should also be considered.  These products are for emergency use only. If you are an off-roader they can get you back to civilization but they are temporary fixes.

At Total Care Auto, we want to help you save money as much as possible but not at the expense of your safety. Your tyres are too important not to trust them to a professional.

TYRES FOR THE SUMMER SEASON

These tyres are designed to be driven on dry roads when the temperature is generally above 10° C. Their tread is designed for optimal traction on dry roads and are designed to effectively displace water when it rains on the road. However the rubber compound of the tyre gets a little bit stiff and harder when the temperature drops below 10° C and the tread can get packed with snow and mud which provides very little traction under those conditions.

If you live where there are summer conditions or all year round, this type of tyre will work well for you. Summer tyres can be purchased with emphasis on handling performance, a smooth ride or a long life. At Total Care Auto, we can assist you select the correct tyre for the way you drive.

If you like maximum performance in warm weather but still live where it gets cold and snowy, then you would probably want to change your summer tyres to winter tyres as the weather starts to change.

TYRES FOR THE WINTER SEASON

These tyres are designed to work very well on snow and ice. The tread is designed with many channels and grooves that keep the snow out of the tread as the wheel turns and consequently the tyre is always able to bite into the snow. The rubber compound used in the winter tyre is especially formulated to be flexible at temperatures below 10° C and to maximise cold weather traction. When the weather becomes warmer, this softer rubber will wear out faster on a warm and dry pavement, so change them when the weather changes.

TYRES FOR ALL ROUND SEASON USE

You may give up some of the performance in the extreme ends of the summer tyre and winter tyre spectrum. These tyres give good highway performance and winter traction. There are many choices within this category that we can help you to evaluate.

Many other options are available depending on ‘the on road versus off road driving’ usage.

WHEEL SIZE

There are also hundreds of styles of wheels to choose from and this is usually only a matter of personal taste. If you wish to change the size of your wheels and tyres, call us at Total Care Auto for advice first. The computer on your vehicle is programmed for the size of the wheel and tyre combination that comes from the factory. Tyre size affects various computer functions like anti lock brakes, traction control systems, stability control systems and odometer. Of course you want these systems to work correctly. Computers can be reprogrammed for different tyre sizes and if you wish to increase the size of your wheels and tyres you would require some help to ensure that they would fit the wheel well in your vehicle without rubbing during turns or over bumps.

At Total Care Auto we can assist you with the correct tyre selection for your vehicle.